


Josh Lyman in Sunnydale

by orphan_account



Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, West Wing
Genre: Crossover, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-08-26
Updated: 2012-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-12 23:20:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,986
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/496790
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>I found this on my hard drive when sorting out files. Its old - like two computers ago old - but I liked it and thought I'd post it even though I'm not even in either of these fandoms any more! Plot: Josh and CJ are in California promoting the President's commitment to education and pay a passing visit to the small town of Sunnydale to see the opening of the new High School. Josh goes for a walk. Stuff happens.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Josh Lyman in Sunnydale

~o0o~

Josh Lyman threw down his newspaper at the coffee shop he and CJ had found in the middle of Sunnydale and by the quick sigh and the look in his eyes CJ Cregg knew he was thinking big thoughts.

“What?” CJ demanded. If he sighed once more at whatever it was he was reading she was going to throttle him!

“I...Its just... There’s this brutal triple murder in the local newspaper. All victims had massive blood loss, one of the women was raped and all three had severe trauma to the neck.”

“There’s this fancy newfangled thing called the police force, Josh. I’m sure they’ll get him sooner or later.”

“Its on page ten, CJ!” Josh exclaimed. He was dumbfounded in an offended sort of way. How could such a violent murder case not warrant front page news in a small town, local newspaper?

“Well apparently even local news outlets sometimes bury bad news.” CJ sipped her coffee and continued reading the latest controversial bill they were caught up in promoting.

Josh grumbled about something loudly enough for CJ to berate him that she was trying to read and though he huffed in annoyance he went back to reading the paper. He scanned a couple more articles and then turned the page to discover a scarily large obituary column.

“Okay, that is just not normal!”

CJ raised an eyebrow in a manner that told Josh that whatever he was about to say he’d better say it quick and it had better be good.

Josh held up the newspaper for her perusal. Page twelve had the obituaries. In fact, page twelve had a lot of obituaries. It was actually a little scary.

“Do you think they publish the obituaries weekly?” He asked hopefully.

“Maybe they have an ageing population,” CJ said dismissively. She thought she was giving out ‘I don’t want to have a conversation’ vibes but Josh seemed single minded in his determination to annoy the hell out of her today.

“Seriously, CJ! This paper is all about gang violence and traumatic deaths, except for the front three pages which are given over to such stimulating articles as road maintenance complaints and local church bring and buy sale. I swear this place gets weirder by the day.”

“We’ve been here for one day, Josh. In fact, we’ve been here for one half of one day and so far all you’ve done is drink coffee, dodge calls from Sam and annoy the hell out of me.”

“I was told we were going to a small town in sunny southern California, and having been to several small towns in southern California in the course of our work, you’ll forgive me for having some happy preconceived opinions yesterday which were happily reinforced by our resident California expert and general know-it-all, Sam Seabourne. This town however is way weirder than any other town in this state. By quite a lot, actually.”

“Is this the same Sam who said he’d never been to Sunnydale and didn’t know anything about it?”

“It doesn’t matter what the place is called, CJ. I mean, if you picked two random towns in the same State in the mid-west chances are they’d both have lawnmower racing at their local fete. All I’m saying is one small town in southern California is pretty much like any other...” Josh frowned, “Only, this one’s not.”

“Josh, the opening ceremony is in one hour, we have to be there to show our support and represent the President and I need to have the congressman’s education initiative read and memorised by then.”

“Right, I’ll be quiet now.”

CJ smiled gratefully and dipped her head back towards the pages on the table. Silence fell for all of thirty seconds before Josh started up again.

“I mean, its just one high school, CJ.”

“Josh, leave now or I will personally tear you limb from limb and leave you to the bitter mercies of the entire White House press corps.”

“Maybe I could stretch my legs a little,” Josh mused aloud.

“You do that,” CJ groused through gritted teeth.

Josh drained his mug and sauntered outside into the early afternoon sun. It was two o-clock now. The official opening ceremony of Sunnydale’s new multi-million dollar, state of the art High School was at three o’clock and he and CJ had to make an appearance on behalf of the President who was currently in Seattle getting very wet. He considered phoning Sam to gloat a little over the brilliant weather in this place but he gave up and shoved his hands in his pockets for a little mosey down main street.

Maybe he could get in a little antiquing.

~~ o0o ~~

Rupert Giles was descending the ladder from the high shelves containing books of dangerous magicks, when he heard the bell tingle and turned around to see who was at the door. It was a quiet afternoon. There were a few people browsing in the shop but no one interested in anything properly magical. At this time he did sometimes get a few trainee witches passing through looking for supplies and he had taken it upon himself to carefully supervise their purchasing habits.

He was surprised however to see a professional looking gentleman of indeterminate age walk into the shop and glance around curiously. Whoever he was, he was certainly not amongst their usual clientele.

“May I help you?” Giles asked politely. After all, sometimes the least likely looking suspects turned out to be the most dangerous. In his experience when ordinary people, uneducated in the world of demons and magicks tried to use it for their own ends it very often ended rather badly for all concerned.

“Nah, I’m just...browsing.”

“Very well. I shall be at the counter if you are in need of any assistance,” Giles nodded politely and turned to go but was called back by the suited man.

“Excuse me,” He called Giles back.

“Yes?” Giles turned towards him and smiled politely.

“The local High School, you know its getting opened today?”

“The new one? Yes, I had heard it. I’m acquainted with one of the carpenters who worked on the project.”

“Well, forgive me for seeming a little stupid but I’m from out of town – what happened to the old school?”

“There was an explosion. A gas leak, I understand. The building caught fire and in the end the school was almost entirely destroyed.”

“Uh, Wow. That’s...was everyone okay?”

“No.”

“People died?”

“Yes.”

“Then why is the State of California paying for the new school and not the gas company? Didn’t the town try to establish corporate liability?”

“Ah. Clearly you have not been in Sunnydale for very long.” The man said cryptically. He smiled politely in a way that made it clear the conversation was now over.

“Right. Sorry. Thanks,” Josh muttered and then turned away to browse the items. It was an odd assortment. Hippyish stuff, statues and herbs and candles for the most part. Some paperweights that Leo might like; strange pendants that claimed to offer protection or good luck or a dozen other things; one corner even contained a selection of homeopathic remedies while a sign by the door wall directed special enquiries to the back of the shop. It really wasn’t the sort of place he liked but he had a feeling that CJ might have some fun browsing in here. CJ liked quirky.

He ended up with a handful of nicknacks as souvenirs for the senior staffers and carried them through to the back of the shop where he was pleasantly surprised to discover a collection of old books – something President Bartlett himself had taught him to appreciate.

“Just these, please.” Josh dumped his items on the counter and waited for the total to be added up. “Hey, what time do you close? I have a friend who’d love this place.”

“Half an hour before sunset,” British man informed him politely. “I think you’ll find its the same for most stores in Sunnydale.”

Giles noted that the suited man seemed a little confused with this but didn’t feel the need to add that the reason so many stores closed at this time was to allow their staff and patrons to reach home before sunset. After all, this was Sunnydale. A visitor to the town would simply not understand. Giles informed the customer of the price, opened the register and gave the man his change and receipt.

“Thank you, please come again.” Giles handed over the small bag of goods.

Josh looked at him for a long minute. “Right. Thanks,” he said though he sounded absent, as if his thoughts were concentrated elsewhere.

Giles looked after the man as he walked out the door and shook his head. He pitied California businessmen who found themselves sent out to this town. They really did have a terrible mortality rate.

~~ o0o ~~

West Wing moment: CJ, Josh, Donna, Sam etc. at opening of high school.

~~ o0o ~~

That evening the assorted Scoobies sat around enjoying the post-opening ceremony party they had hastily arranged for Xander in the back of the magic shop. This had been his first big project and he had played an important part in building the new school. After the formal suits-and-ties swarée with all the big-wigs they were sure that Xander would appreciate something more intimate and easy-going with his friends.

Willow and Buffy were first to arrive and helped Giles close shop. Anya was off ‘working’ somewhere for a few days and wasn’t around and somehow the place seemed quieter without her peculiar brand of humour or too-sharp jibes at her sort-of friends. Dawn arrived from the mall a little while later with plenty of party goods. The Summers girls set up, putting up a banner and nibbles and setting up the music while Willow went to fetch Xander. It wasn’t long before he arrived, still in suit and tie and looking exhausted after his afternoon stuck hanging out with bigwigs shaking hands.

“I am never going to one of those again,” Xander declared. The bell tinkled as he door closed and Willow smiled sympathetically at her poor exhausted friend.

“That bad, huh?” Buffy enquired.

“Buff!” Xander grinned. “I have so much sweat on my palms from shaking other men’s hands it isn’t even funny! As in, really, really not funny.”

It was at that moment that he noticed the banner draped across the back wall. 

“A party? You guys are throwing me a party?” Xander grinned.

Willow patted his arm and grinned back. “A party for the big working guy with lots of responsibility.”

“Its very exclusive,” Dawn nodded confidently, “Friends only.”

Xander tugged off his tie and shrugged off his jacket as he walked towards the back of the room. “I am the Xan-Man! Show me the twinkies!”

Dawn took it upon herself to organise CDs at the stereo while Giles and the three old high school friends chatted and laughed over old times and some of their many adventures. They had been kicking back for some time and were thoroughly hyped up on sugar by the time a thought occurred to Xander.

“Hey Buff, what about patrol?”

“Spike’s subbing for the night. He figured you wouldn’t want him here. Besides, he’s not big on twinkies.”

~~ o0o ~~

Halfway across town Spike was sauntering across yet another dead cemetery. Apparently the demonic side of Sunnydale had run for the hills while the politicians and businessmen were in town for the school opening. Even the State Senator had been here – he’d seen it on the news that very afternoon while he was waiting for Passions to come on.

Spike guessed though that most of them had probably left town by now for L.A. Most of those types had fancy cars and drivers and stuff like that, and Sunnydale didn’t exactly have any hotels or motel that were five star since there wasn’t the custom. He twirled the stake in his hand and let his thoughts drift back to the Slayer. Buffy Summers. Love of his undead life; bane of his bloody existence – the woman he’d gone and gotten a god damned soul for and he still ran around after her like a bloody puppy doing anything she asked. Only this time he didn’t even have that excuse because this time he’d volunteered for patrol so that she could attend a party for the wanker who hated his guts – soul or no soul.

Spike supposed he had to give the human a little credit. The guy had been slightly less horrible to him since Buffy had stopped beating Spike’s eternal guts out every couple of days what with him now being all souled up, but he was still pretty cut up about Anya and the fact that they had both been blind drunk and feeling totally fucked over by their exes was apparently completely irrelevant to their inadvertent little show. The little show that no one would ever let him forget.

Buffy had been trying not to mention it, it would seem. Spike wondered if she realised he had been thinking about her all the way through it. He had already confessed long ago to having thought about her when he was with Drusilla a time or two. He supposed Anya had probably been imagining Xander but the thought didn’t bother him. It had been comfort sex, for both of them. Buffy it seemed finally understood that – finally understood what all her abuse and hot-and-cold antics the year before had done to him emotionally.

Finally understood that all he wanted was to be allowed to was love her.

To Spike, to Buffy, to Anya herself – the ‘Sex Shop’ incident was well and truly in the past now. Only Xander would not let it be forgotten. The fact that he had broken up with Anya seemed to be completely irrelevant, as was the fact that he had been harping on about it ever since like Anya was his personal property.

Or maybe he was just using Spike as a verbal punching bag cause he couldn’t deal with all the self-loathing at what he had done to Anya to make her sleep with Spike. It was easier, Spike supposed, for Xander to blame the souled-up vamp than for the human to admit his own failing in the whole affair.

Not to mention his less-than-understanding attitude towards the ‘bathroom’ incident with Buffy that had made him leave to get his soul in the first place. Spike would never forgive himself but that was alright because Buffy seemed willing to let bygones be bygones and forgive him, even if she could never forget and Willow seemed willing to follow her best friend’s lead. Anya had also taken to a more vocal defence of Spike than in the past, but one reminder that Spike had, after all, been a soul-less vampire at the time seemed to be enough to entrench the whole thing in Xander’s memory. Something to drag up every time Spike was in danger of achieving something good – regardless of what Buffy seemed to think.

Ah, Buffy! His golden girl. Spike still found it difficult to comprehend all the things she had said to him. The ‘yes it was wrong but...’ conversation that seemed to run on constant repeat in his head. Yes it was wrong but I stopped you before you could do it, she had told him, although Spike thought the way things had ended was rather besides the point. The very fact that he had tried had been terrible enough to torment him for an eternity – soul or no soul. Yes it was wrong but I did a lot of wrong things too, was another favourite of Buffy’s. How she could ever think she had driven him to it was completely beyond Spike’s comprehension. So maybe she had beaten him up a bit that year – but what else was new?

He was brought back to the present by a growl and the scent of fledgling vampire drifted to his nose. Sure enough, a few yards away Mister Sinclair was being overly punctual coming out of his grave and Spike made short work of him before returning to his musings. For once he sank down with his back to a headstone and let his mind drift to the night, exactly one week ago, when Buffy had drifted down to the basement to watch him sleep.

Only he hadn’t been. Sleeping, that is. The sound of her footsteps on the stair, the sensation of her presence nearby, her distinctive scent filling the air all woke him immediately although he didn’t dare to let her know that.

Oh Spike, what did you do for me? I don’t deserve you.

He’d nearly stormed across the room and punched her himself at that comment. She didn’t deserve him?! How did that twisted logic work? Spike still didn’t understand.

You weren’t wrong you know. I did feel it when you were inside me. I felt it other times too, but that was the only time I let you see I cared, wasn’t it? That’s how I drove you to the edge. Its not an excuse for what you tried to do but I needed to say out loud that I did feel it. I still do...and maybe someday I’ll get up the guts to let you know that when you’re actually conscious.

His mind flashed back to their first time in that abandoned house. He’d tried to kill her again, only he couldn’t. All it did was turn him on and suddenly she’d jumped on him and tugged down his zipper and he’d found himself inside her. Christ! It had been wonderful. The heat; the intense look in her eyes; the strength of her muscles surrounding him; the way she had taken him long and slow and deep before everything changed and they’d literally made the house down around them.

It had never been like that again. Fast, slow, furious, gentle, violent, raging, passionate, intense...a million different things in a million different ways, but never like that again. Never like that first time.

His thoughts were once again disturbed by a visitor to the cemetery only this time it was human. He didn’t look local – he looked like an insomniac businessman, one of the recent visitors perhaps, out for a midnight stroll still dressed in his suit from earlier that day. He had a cell phone pinned to his ear and one hand stuffed in the pocket of his pants.

“Sam, that’s insane, the markets don’t open there for another three hours!”

Pause.

“The guy’s a freaking economics professor for Christ’s sake!”

Pause.

“How the hell should I know? Ask Toby.”

Pause.

“What do you mean where am I? I’m in Sunnydale. No, CJ’s back at the motel watching chick flicks. Don’t ask me why, the place is a dump but we didn’t see much point renting an apartment for a whole week if we’re only gonna be here a couple of days.”

Spike had a bad feeling about this. When regular humans tried to stay at Sunnydale motels things always ended badly. They were regular fledge hunting grounds, plus the guy was taking a midnight stroll in the nearest cemetery. He was practically asking to be eaten.

“...no, its some cemetery. They have nice mausoleums though.” Pause. “Sam this whole town is creepy.” Another pause. “Yeah, okay.”

The guy hung up abruptly and then looked around for a moment as if he was trying to orient himself. He finally seemed to recognise the direction he wanted to go and stalked off, hands still in his pockets.

Spike watched him carefully through the tombstones as he disappeared into the darkness. The guy was obviously a complete innocent. He’d be lucky if he got halfway back before...

A scream.

A high pitched, girlish scream of terror but it came from the direction the foolish man had just left for. Reluctantly Spike dragged his ass off the ground and ran across the cemetery then through the trees in the middle and out the other side. Sure enough, a vamp held him tightly by the shoulders, already vamped out and ready for the kill.

“I don’t have my wallet,” The guy was muttering uselessly, “I left it back at my motel, I swear.”

Clearly the guy didn’t know that the man holding him wasn’t remotely interested in cash or credit cards. Spike arrived just in time to see the vamp growl hungrily and bend his fangs towards the victim’s throat. By the time he reached the pair the vamp had gotten in a few deep pulls of blood. With the vamp distracted by dinner, Spike easily staked him and in seconds there was nothing left but a cloud of dust that drifted slowly to the ground. Meanwhile the victim wobbled unsteadily. Dizzy and bewildered by the sudden loss of blood, he stared wide eyed at his saviour.

“Wha...where’d he...” The guy mumbled incoherently.

“Trust me, he’s not coming back,” Spike assured him.

“I feel dizzy.”

“Its normal mate. You got a hankie or something?” Spike asked and pointed towards the man’s bleeding throat.

The man pulled a handkerchief out of a pocket and held it to the wound at his neck.

“He had yellow eyes and his head was all bumpy. I swear and then it was like he just evaporated or something and there you were behind him with that weird pointy wood thing in your hand and...its not a dildo is it? Cause I’m not gay. I just wanted to get that out there cause my assistant Donna-”

“A ‘thank you’ would have done mate, and in the future don’t go wandering off in bleedin’ cemeteries all on your lonesome in the middle of the night. Bad things happen. Now go home.”

Spike turned and tried to walk back in the direction he had come. He made it only a few paces before he was called back by victim number one.

“Wait...you’re going?”

Spike rolled his eyes. He was no babysitter, except for Nibblet, but the guy looked pretty damned scared.

“Fine. I’ll walk you home and guard you against any more nasties, that do?”

The guy shrugged and then nodded. “Sure, that’ll do. I’m Josh, by the way.”

~~o0o~~

The motel Josh was staying at was barely a ten minute walk from this cemetery but they hadn’t even gotten to the end of the street before the chatterbox he was walking with started talking again.

“Seriously though, was he high or something? He looked like something out of some horror film, and he had these fangs...and what’s with the drinking blood?”

“Oh bloody hell! It was a sodding vampire, alright? Fangs, undead, blood – the whole nine yards. I drove a stake through her heart and it turned her to dust. Easiest way to kill them.”

“VAMPIRE?! That thing that ripped my neck open was Dracula!”

“Drac’s dead, mate. Sorry to break it to you.”

“So the not hanging out in cemeteries thing, is that cause of the ‘vampires’?” The guy asked, his tone full of disbelieving mirth. One to tell the friends over a watery, cold, American beer.

“Don’t believe me then but don’t say I didn’t warn you. Its not good to be out after dark in this place.”

“But somehow that rule doesn’t apply to you?”

Spike growled and vamped out. He was tired of the mouthy human pestering him for doing a good deed to the ungrateful bugger. “I am a bleedin’ vamp you idiot!” Spike growled and vamped out before he could help himself. As soon as his mind caught up with his mouth he muttered curses and then morphed back to his human face.

The guy had taken several steps away and was now staring at him like a rabbit in the headlights – fight or flight was ready to kick in any second.

“Bloody hell...” Spike shook his head in frustration. “I don’t eat humans anymore. Even if I wanted to I can’t. Spike’s all neutered. Can’t play with the other puppies anymore.”

“Who’s Spike?”

“Me. I’m Spike.”

“Do you usually talk about yourself in the third person?” The guy asked.

Spike thought it was a weird question for a guy to ask when he’d just found out vampires were real. “Are we getting near your place or not? I’ve got more vamps to kill.”

“You’re a vampire but you kill other vampires? You’re not some sort of serial killer, are you?”

Again with the questions.

“I’m a housetrained, well-mannered, goodie-goodie ponce these days, but that doesn’t mean I can’t rip your throat out if you don’t stop annoying me. Now stop asking questions and start walking.”

For once Josh obediently complied and together they continued walking towards Josh’s motel, but Spike wasn’t done. The spat with Josh had put him in a foul mood and combined with the exile from Xander’s party and the strange dearth of vampires and demons on patrol to take the edge off, he was working himself into a frenzy and now that he’d started ranting he wasn’t inclined to stop any time soon.

“Bloody happy meals on legs...nothing but trouble. What the bleedin’ hell was Mayor Hawkins thinking letting all these bigwigs come to a town like Sunnydale? As if the Hellmouth wasn’t trouble enough without corporate sponsors adding to the chaos. Slayer has enough trouble in her back yard as it is. Just our luck that some idiot gets eaten and then half of America’ll be staring at this place.”

“I’m sorry, did you just say ‘Hellmouth’?”

“Yeah, what of it? Sunnydale’s on a hell mouth. Everyone knows that.”

“That’s like a football team or something, right?” Josh asked hopefully.

“No,” Spike said slowly as if Josh was very stupid, and Spike was beginning to think that might just be the case. “Hell mouth as in mouth of hell. Right beneath the new high school. ‘S why the old one burnt down. Everyone knows that. No one talks about it, but everyone knows. Local humans don’t live here for long without figuring out what’s what.”

Josh just laughed. “Look, Spike. I’m a Fulbright scholar, I studied law at Harvard and Yale; I’ve worked for three state Governors including Josiah Bartlett who is now the President of the United States. In fact, I’m a senior staffer in his White House, right now. I’ve worked there for the last six years and I was there today at the High School opening with my colleague CJ Cregg to represent the President and show our support for your congressman’s new education initiative. You don’t get to where I am by being stupid...”

“Could’a fooled me,” Spike muttered under his breath. Josh, in full run, didn’t even notice.

“...I know state secrets that would make you quiver in your boots and I can assure you, if there was a Hellmouth under this town its something I think the joint chiefs would have told us about.”

Spike spun around and leaned towards the suited man intimidatingly.

“Is that right?”

“The Joint Chiefs know everything there is to know about National Security and what they don’t know Fitzwallace tells the President personally. There is no mouth of hell under Sunnydale, California.”

Fury tore through Spike at the little upstart’s scathing retort of Hellmouths, apocalypses and all the times Buffy had saved his scrawny, whining arse. Before he could think to stop himself, he pulled his arm back and Spike’s fist connected with the idiot’s nose, making blood gush down the guy’s face onto his suit below.

The satisfaction of having afflicted some real damage to the man wasn’t long lasting as pain pierced through Spike’s skull. His body shut down, his knees went weak and he dropped to the ground clutching his skull as pain filled roars burst from his throat into the night.

Josh meantime was also distracted by pain. Blood gushed forth from his nose and the already bloody handkerchief on his neck was having trouble soaking up the extra blood now running down his face.

“Ow! Oo boke dy dose.” Josh exclaimed through blood, swelling tissue and an over-used handkerchief. He didn’t care that he was almost incomprehensible, he was bleeding and in pain and out alone at night with a violent stranger. Why had he decided to go for a walk again? Slowly however, the pain subsided until he once more found himself concentrating on his surroundings. For some reason he hadn’t been punched or kicked again and somewhere someone was moaning in pain. 

Josh turned around to try and see Spike and nearly fell flat on his face as his feet caught on something bulky lying on the ground. He looked down to see a leather-clad body curled up in a ball holding, peroxide blond hair just visible beneath the hands clutched in pain around Spike’s head. For a few moments the two men remained silent, waiting for the pain to subside. Eventually Spike stood up and looked at Josh for a long moment.

“Don’t piss me off again,” Spike said at length.

Josh just nodded.

“Come on, Its just two minutes from here. With that blood every vamp around’ll be baying for your blood. We’d best hurry up...And don’t think we’re done. I want a word with you.”

They didn’t talk until they reached the motel just a few minutes later. Spike pushed his way in when Josh tried to close the door. Obviously the guy wasn’t staying here very long or there would have been a barrier at the threshold. Right now it worked to Spike’s advantage. If this guy really worked for the government Spike wanted a serious word about the Initiative and the chip in his head.

Spike watched Josh collapse on the double bed and told him to sit tight while he went to the bathroom. He emerged a few minutes later with the glass from the sink filled with water and several wads of tissue.

“You got a friend here with you? You should have someone with you, you’ve lost a lot of blood tonight.”

“CJ next door,” Josh pointed towards one wall. “Don’t punch her.”

Spike smirked and whirled out the door.

~~ o0o ~~

CJ Cregg was just kicking back with a strong drink from the mini bar in one hand and a pile of faxes Leo had sent to the motel office in the other. Suddenly there was a sharp rap at the door and CJ glared at it menacingly. Whatever Josh was up to this had better be good cause she was tired and cranky and so not in the mood to piss around. The knock came again. CJ sighed heavily, put her drink and faxes on the bedside table and went to the door without putting her shoes on.

She opened it to find a young, handsome man with blonde hair, black clothes and a black floor-length leather coat. The man stared at her for a moment.

“You CJ?”

“Yeah, who’s asking?”

“Josh’s injured. He’s next door nursing a broken nose.”

In a flash CJ slipped into her heels, slammed her door shut and stormed towards Josh’s room.

“Joshua Lyman,” CJ threw open his door, “What on earth have you been up to?”

“What have I been up to? He hit me.” Josh pointed at Spike indignantly.

CJ turned her sharp glare on Spike who had followed her into Josh’s room. “You did this?”

“He pissed me off! Besides, its just a scratch. He’ll be right as rain in a couple of days.”

“He pissed you off so you punched him?” CJ rounded on Spike.

Spike shrugged nonchalantly. “Josh says you two works for the government. He had his facts wrong about something. I wanted a word.”

“Oh, here we go,” Josh rolled his eyes.

CJ tried to reign in her anger. She gritted her teeth and tried to smile politely. “Sir-”

“You don’t have to call him sir. Something tells me he didn’t vote for us at the last election. Hell, he was probably in jail,” Josh scoffed.

“Oi! I’m standing right here! And it bloody rich of you asking if I voted when you know well and good that I’m undead.”

“He says he’s a vampire.” Josh told CJ.

“And yet with all this crazy talk I don’t see you calling 911,” CJ retorted to Josh.

“Police? In Sunnydale?” Spike snorted. “Good luck mate. Now if you two don’t mind I’ve got places to be tonight.”

“Like the mental institution,” Josh muttered.

Spike ignored him. “Now Mister High-and-Mighty, ‘I work for the President’, maybe you can tell me – if you know so much – why the Initiative set up here when any demon or half-breed could tell you this is the Slayer’s town and once you’ve done that tell that Pentagon lot that William the Bloody has a soul now and wants the chip out of his head.”

“Who in the hell’s William The Bloody?”

Spike growled in frustration. “Me, you idiot.” Spike vamped into game face. 

“Oh my,” CJ gasped.

“William the Bloody, Master Vampire, Order of Aurelius. Slayer of Slayers, one quarter of the Scourge of Europe and now I have myself a shiny soul and a nice White Hat and run round with the Scoobies. Much good it does me.”

“Lets say we indulge in your fantasy for a moment,” CJ crossed her arms and glared menacingly at him as if he himself was the entire White House press corp. “You have a chip in your head?”

“Yeah,” Spike agreed.

“And this ‘Initiative’ gave it to you?” She asked.

“Knocked me out, cut me open, popped it in and sewed me up.”

Josh looked at this strange man, trying to tell if he was serious. “Well what does it do?”

“Remember when I punched you I was all rolling around on the ground?”

“You clutched your head,” Josh remembered.

Spike nodded. “Every time I hurt someone it sends pain signals all through my body. Can’t bloody defend myself without writhing around in pain. I don’t even kill anymore. Its just not right to be tethered like that.”

“You don’t kill anymore?” CJ exclaimed.

“Vamp’s gotta eat, love,” Spike huffed. “And everyone knows you humans are vamp food. Soul goes when you die, you see, so all vamps lose their soul when they’re sired and don’t have a conscience.”

“But you said you did have a soul,” Josh pointed out, not even noticing that he was getting into Spike’s story.

“Well I went and found mine, didn’t I? Earned it.”

“Without the benefit of a conscience you just decided one day to go out and get a soul?” CJ asked scathingly.

“Well, yeah.”

“Why?” Josh wondered.

“For a girl of course. Why else?”

Josh turned to CJ. “That’s a good reason, you know.”

CJ rolled her eyes. “Well, William the Bloody its been nice talking to you but we have an early start in the morning.”

“You’ll ask them to get my chip out?”

“Sure,” Josh replied enthusiastically, eager to please the guy so he’d just leave them be already.

“Good. Right. Best be off then. Sorry for punching you. And drink plenty of water for the blood loss.”

“Water, got it.” Josh nodded.

Spike looked at them both for a long moment and then turned around to go.

“Wait!” Josh called to him. Spike turned back around. “Where can you find you?”

“Got a crypt in Restfield Cemetery...or you could get me via the Slayer. She’ll pass a message on I’d think.”

“Right. Thanks. See you around.” Josh waved goodbye.

Spike went to the door and disappeared into the night.

~~ o0o ~~

The moment Spike was gone CJ rounded on her colleague. “Are you out of your mind?!”

“Whaaat?” Josh whined. “I had a broken nose, he was walking me back.

“He gave you that broken nose, Josh – and now you’ve gone and told some psycho who lives in a cemetery who we are and what we do! Do you have any idea what Ron Butterworth is going to say? Oh, the Secret Service’ll have a field day with this one.”

“He saved my life.”

“Oh, really? Was that before or after he broke your nose?!”

“Before. This guy came up and tried to bite me in the cemetery,” Josh pulled down his collar for CJ to see the bite marks. “Drank my blood and everything, I swear.”

“Well thank God the President’s not here Josh but you can be damned sure he’s going to hear about it!”

CJ whirled around and stormed out, slamming Josh’s door behind her so hard that the walls shook.

Josh stared at the closed door to his room. “I don’t get paid enough for this,” He muttered to himself.

~~ o0o ~~

The following day Josh and CJ left Sunnydale and met the President in L.A. where he was giving a morning speech to some business leaders before flying back to Washington with his senior staff. Like most days around POTUS it was a whirlwind of phone calls and meetings and important conversations and Air Force One was somewhere over the mid-west before Josh and CJ had a moment to tell anyone about the strange ‘vampire’ they met in Sunnydale.

“So, how was Sunnydale? Did you talk to the Congressman?” Sam asked Josh in a spare moment as they waited outside Leo’s office.

“The Congressman is on board and appreciates the President’s support on this matter!” Josh made a fist in the air in celebration.

“Nothing else? Nothing, I don’t know, a little crazy?” Sam prodded.

Josh sighed. “What do you know?”

“Well, now that you bring it up, Cathy may have mentioned something to me.”

“About?” Josh asked. He didn’t even bother to point out that Sam was actually the one who had brought up Sunnydale first.

“Something Donna told her,” Sam said.

“Which was?” 

“You met a crazy guy.”

CJ arrived beside them, having just finished briefing the press corp. about arrangements for the landing and return to the White House.

“Who met a crazy guy?”

“Apparently you and Josh did.”

“He wasn’t crazy he was just a little...”

“Delusional?” CJ supplied.

“I was going to say ‘imaginitive’,” Josh rocked on his heels.

“He thought he was a vampire,” CJ snapped sarcastically.

“Josh did?” Sam asked CJ

“No, the crazy guy,” Josh corrected. “Spike – he said his name was Spike. He had this funny face deformity...but he did save me from a mugger who was, if possible, even crazier than Spike.”

“One crazy guy saved you from another crazy guy?” Sam tried to muddle through the confusing conversation.

“I went for a walk and this guy jumped me and so I told him I didn’t have my wallet and he tried to bite me and then he just sort of disappeared – I guess he must have run off or something – and this other guy was there being all scary and threatening.”

“What happened to the other guy?” Sam asked curiously.

“I think he ran off. One minute he was there, and then he wasn’t. Spike offered to walk me home and I made the mistake of saying I worked for the government and then he started laying into the Military.”

At that moment Leo’s door opened and the White House chief of staff invited the three other staffers into his office. Toby was already there, clearly they had been having a serious discussion about something but he caught the tail end of Josh’s story as the door opened.

Josh, CJ and Sam joined Toby and Leo in the office and Toby immediately set upon Josh to get the rest of the story.

“You were talking about the Military again?” Toby asked Josh softly. “With who, might I ask?”

“This crazy guy he met in Sunnydale,” Sam told Toby.

“Josh met a crazy guy in Sunnydale?” Leo asked the group.

“He saved me from a mugger,” Josh continued his story. “I was bleeding and he said I shouldn’t walk back alone and we got to talking and then out of nowhere he was saying all this crazy stuff about Sunnydale sitting on the mouth of hell and how it was dangerous to have all these suits hanging around or some crap like that. So, I said I was a Fulbright scholar and I studied at Harvard and Yale and I worked for three Governors and the President of the United States and I’d know if there was a hellmouth here. There. In Sunnydale.”

“Of course you would,” Leo agreed with a hint of sarcasm.

“Hell Mouth?” Toby asked quietly. “He thought the Mouth of Hell was in Sunnydale, California.”

Josh scoffed. “That’s not even the best part. I said he was crazy cause the Joint Chiefs would have told us that...and then he punched me.”

“He punched you? For saying Sunnydale’s not on the mouth of hell?” Sam asked incredulously.

“And you know what’s even crazier?” CJ picked up the story. “The crazy ‘Spike’ guy walked Josh home, apologised for punching him, and then insisted he was a vampire called William the Bloody who had a chip put in his head by a military group called ‘The Initiative’ and he wanted me to tell the Pentagon he wanted it out.”

“And he said something strange about how the government should have know it was the Slayer’s town. Just don’t ask me what a Slayer is. I swear, he made Toby look sane.”

“Hey!” Toby whined.

“Well I hope you asked for his vote Josh,” Leo reminded him.

“Do the undead have voting rights in California?” Sam asked rhetorically.

“Undead. Isn’t that convenient,” Leo snarked.

“Well actually-” Josh started.

“Enough, Josh,” Leo cut him off. “Lets get started people. Now as you all know the plane is due to land at seven thirty. From there the motorcade will...”

~~o0o~~


End file.
